Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari, in Owerri, charged the Nigeria Police Force to perfect operational plans that will guarantee a credible outcome in the 2023 general elections while remaining apolitical, firm, and loyal to democratic values.
Declaring open the three-day Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, the President directed the Police to review the current and evolving internal security threats as they may impact peaceful and successful elections.
The president observed that elections are local, and it is only when the votes truly count that the faith of the citizens in the democratic process can be demonstrated and government legitimacy assured.
According to him, this can best be guaranteed through well-policed election and security operations that are impartial, firm, and professional.
”I, therefore, task the Inspector General of Police to sustain his leadership standards that will guarantee a level playing field, and secure public space for the citizens to freely exercise their franchise, and for the outcome of the elections to be a true reflection of the people’s choices,” he said.
No doubt, the success, and failure of the 2023 general elections depend on the conduct of the security agencies, especially the police.
Indeed, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) has always been a step ahead in devising means and technology to improve the credibility of the electoral process.
We call to mind the introduction of the card reader, BVAS machine, and electronic transfer of votes. These have helped to eliminate thuggery, ballot box snatching, multiple and indiscriminate thumb-printing of ballot papers thereby enhancing the credibility and integrity of the outcome of elections
Although these innovations are not foolproof, they have gone a long way in improving the acceptability of election results and reflect the wishes of the electorate.
Sadly, no matter the good intentions of INEC, politicians always look for ways to circumvent the system.
One of the major albatross of the electoral system is that the people are not allowed to choose who governs them at all levels as the elections are usually hijacked by moneybags and godfathers who impose their candidate at all levels.
This has led to incompetence in governance because of the vacuousness of many of the elected officials. Nigeria cannot simply continue on that inglorious path.
It is gratifying to note that President Buhari has pledged to leave behind a legacy of free, fair, and credible elections. From the off-cycle elections so far in Ekiti, Osun, and Anambra states, many Nigerians are beginning to believe the president’s promise.
However, a new trend that has been observed in Ekiti and Osun elections was the issue of vote buying. This has been a blot on the integrity of recent elections.
In the considered opinion of this newspaper, vote buying is rampant because of the failure of the security agencies to arrest and prosecute vote traders. This has to stop.
To buck the trend of vote buying, the police need to do their job and arrest vote buyers no matter who is involved.
Indeed, there is a general impression that the police usually take sides in elections with the government in power. This has been the practice in previous elections in the country .This ought not to be so. They often look the other way if the ruling party is engaged in vote buying or other electoral malpractice. This is largely due to the fact that the federal government funds the police force. This unfortunate development aligns with the popular maxim that he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
We recall that the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba, had assured the President and Nigerians that the Force would draw on the outcome of the conference to perfect its Election Security Strategy and Action Plans towards stabilizing the security and political landscape in the county.
He promised that the strategy would strengthen citizens’ confidence in the electoral process and produce a credible electoral outcome in the 2023 General Elections.
Consequently, with the new charge by the president to the police to allow the wishes of the people to prevail in the election, we expect nothing less than professionalism and neutrality from the police force.
The opinion of this newspaper is in sync with the position of the president that the 2023 general election should reflect the wishes of the people. Elections must not only be free, fair, and credible, they must be seen to be so. That is the essence of democracy.
